How Are Students Nominated?

Only school principals or guidance counselors are certified to nominate students.  Any student who will complete the 7th, 8th or 9th grade at the conclusion of the 2009-2010 academic year and who scores at the 95th percentile or higher on a nationally standardized achievement exam qualifies for nomination.

Nomination packets are mailed to school counselors around the first of September. If your school is not on our mailing list, we would be glad to send them a packet and add them to our mailing list.

School principals or counselors may nominate any current 7th, 8th, or 9th grader who has scored at the 95th percentile or above in at least one area on a recognized and normed standardized achievement examination, such as the Iowa Test of Basic Skills, Texas Assessment of Academic Skills, Stanford Achievement Test, CTBS, and MAP. Since some states use different tests than these and other states no longer use standardized national exams, we will make accommodations to fit personal circumstances. NOTE:  Students who attended JBA last summer will not need to be nominated for the 2010 Joseph Baldwin Academy.

All nominations must be received on-line or postmarked by September 28, 2009 to qualify for application to the 2010 Joseph Baldwin Academy.

Please contact Jana Morton, Assistant to the Dean at 660/785-5406 or email her at jmorton@truman.edu to receive your Joseph Baldwin Academy Nomination Packet or for any questions regarding the standardized test scores.

Our current list for Standardized Test scores are listed below:

CTBS	95% or above in any Academic Subject
CTP-4	95% or above in any Academic Subject
DAT	95% or above in any Academic Subject
ERB	95% or above in any Academic Subject
Explore	95% or above in any Academic Subject
Iowa Test of Basic Skills	95% or above in any Academic Subject
ISTEP	95% or above in any Academic Subject
MAP or Terra Nova	95% or above in any Academic Subject
Metropolitan Achievement Test - MAT 8	95% or above in any Academic Subject
Minnesota Comprehensive Test	95% or above in any Academic Subject
MCT - Mississippi    Grade 7    Grade 8	Reading           Language       Mathematics 600                      605                  623 611                      609                  640
Ohio Proficiency Testing	Advanced proficient in two or more academic areas (reading, writing, math or science)
OLSAT	95% or above in any Academic Subject
Stanford 9 & 10	95% or above in any Academic Subject area (Listening & Study Skills fall under Academic Skills area and are not acceptable)
Texas TAKS- 7th or 8th grades	Reading: 2528 or higher Mathematics: 2488 or higher  Social Studies: 2469 or higher
TCAP	95% or above in any Academic Subject
WISC-III	95% or above in any Academic Subject

You may ONLY use the following for students who do not have standardized test scores due to testing in non-academic subjects with MAP in 5th & 6th grade:

GPA	3.75 – 4.0
I.Q. testing	125 or above = 95%

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Who is Eligible?

Enrollment for the on-campus Joseph Baldwin Academy experience is limited to students completing the seventh, eighth, or ninth grade by June 2010 who meet the qualifications for Distinguished Nominee status for the program. To qualify as a Distinguished Nominee, a student must score at the 95th percentile or above in at least one area on a normed, standardized achievement test such as the Iowa Test of Basic Skills, Stanford Achievement Test, California Achievement Test, CTBS, Texas Assessment of Academic Skills, or MAP, and be nominated by his or her school's principal or counselor. Since some states use different tests than these and other states no longer use standardized national exams, we will make accommodations to fit your personal circumstances. NOTE:  Students who attended the Academy last year will not need to be nominated for the 2010 Joseph Baldwin Academy.  They will automatically receive the application materials.

Home School Students:  Home school students may be nominated by a parent.  Parents will need to supply a standardized test score or I.Q. test results as described above and provide the Dean with a copy of the student's curriculum plan from the last two years.  The Dean will handle such students on a case-by-case basis.  School Counselors are encouraged to alert home school students in their area about this opportunity.

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How Do I Apply?

Distinguished Nominees who are certified as eligible for the final selection process will receive notification in October of their Distinguished Nominee designation, as well as information and application materials for the Joseph Baldwin Academy.  Final selection as one of the Eminent Young Scholars is based on application information, a complete school transcript (two full years), a letter of recommendation from a current teacher and ACT test scores (SAT or PSAT test scores are also accepted).   Information on how to register to take the ACT will be included in the Joseph Baldwin Academy application packet. 

Applications will not be accepted without two full year's transcripts and the teacher recommendation.  The completed application form, a copy of a student's last two years' transcripts and completed Teacher Recommendation form should be sent to JBA and be postmarked by November 13th. Once the student's application materials have been received and processed, a card will be sent indicating receipt of application. Students will be notified of acceptance late February.
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Distinguished Nominees who wish to attend the Joseph Baldwin Academy must take a college entrance examination on or before December 12, 2009 and scores must be received before February 1, 2010 to be eligible for the 2010 Joseph Baldwin Academy.  The American College Testing Program (ACT) is the preferred exam, although students are also welcome to complete the SAT or PSAT.   Students taking the ACT exam on December 12, 2009, must register to take the exam by November 6, 2009.  Applicants must provide a copy of their ACT/SAT/PSAT test scores by February 1, 2010 to be considered.  If a student takes the ACT/SAT/PSAT after the December test date, the Academy will not receive the results in time to determine acceptance by February (see above).  

NEW THIS YEAR:  Students may register online at www.actstudent.org but must be at least 13 years old or have a parent present and must pay the fee by credit card.  Students may also register by mail using the paper ACT registration packet. Paper packets are available at their local high school or from the Joseph Baldwin Academy.  

NOTE: Students returning to JBA for a second or third year may choose to use their ACT scores from a previous year, but they are encouraged to retake the test and submit new scores.  Acceptance to the Joseph Baldwin Academy is not determined by the score a student receives on the ACT/SAT or PSAT.  This is merely an important tool for our faculty to use when placing students in courses.
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Do You Accept Late Applicants?

Students whose applications are postmarked after November 13, 2009 are considered late.   Late applications may be accepted until February 1, 2010.  Late applicants will be mailed a letter acknowledging its receipt, but are then set aside while we attempt to place all students who applied on time and handle withdrawals.   This process may take until the first payment due date of April 30th. At that time, we will attempt to place late applicants in any open class choices they made. If there are no available spots in any of your top choices, we will contact you to let you know what classes are still available and give you the option to be considered for one of these courses. Your application will then be forwarded to the instructor of that course for consideration. If the instructor accepts you into his/her class, we will notify by mail. In some cases we are unable to place all students who apply to the Academy.

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How Are Courses Assigned?

The Academy attempts to place students in their first class choice, but some classes have more applicants than seats available. The instructor for each class reviews student files and determines whether an applicant would be able to successfully complete the class by considering such factors as the student’s ACT score, school transcript, essay responses, letter of recommendation, and, if applicable, their previous work at the Academy.

The Academy will inform students once their application has been received and completed (including ACT/SAT/PSAT score). Students whose applications are complete by the deadline of November 13, 2009 will have the best chance of receiving their first class choice. No student will be placed in a class until his/her application is complete.

After each instructor has reviewed all of his/her applications and chosen his/her students, we will notify the students via mail around late February of acceptance to the Academy.

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Are There Waiting Lists for Closed Classes?

Although we would like to accommodate all students who apply to the Academy, due to space limitations, this is not possible. Students who could not be assigned to one of the choices indicated on their application will be notified at the same time as the students who were assigned. They will have the choice of requesting a class that still has available seats, going on a waiting list for one of their original choices or withdrawing. Students on a waiting list will be notified within a week of the April 30th deadline of any openings. Placement on a waiting list is not a guarantee of placement into a course.

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Can Students Attend Both Sessions?

Students may apply to attend both sessions.  At the time that they initially apply to the program, they should indicate this desire in the comments sections on the application form. Of course they still must be selected by the JBA faculty member of each class to which they apply before they are allowed to attend each session.  Every year approximately 10% of our students attend both sessions.

Students who attend both sessions must go home at the end of Session I. They will, however, be permitted to leave their belongings in their room.  Normally students are able to remain in the same room for both sessions, but occasionally housing placement pressures require the JBA staff to move the student to a different room.

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How Are Students Evaluated in JBA Classes?

Approximately two weeks after the end of the session, students will receive a description of the course they completed and an individualized evaluation. The faculty member will assess each student’s performance in the class, address their academic strengths and weaknesses, and suggests areas for further academic development. Students and parents may wish to send a copy of the assessment to their own school to be placed in a student’s record.

We believe the primary purpose of attending the Joseph Baldwin Academy should be experiencing the unique intellectual stimulation the program provides.  For this and other reasons, the Academy does not offer high school or college credit for courses completed. Students, however, may negotiate with their local school officials for credit or advanced placement.

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